REPRESENTATION BILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1547, 8 July 1885, Page 2

REPRESENTATION BILL.

The following Is the Hansard report of remarks made by Mr W. 0 Walker, memner for Ashburton, on the second reading of the Representation Bill. The object of the Bill (introduced by the Premier) is to enable the cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, instead of being split up into wards for the return of members to the House, to be treated each as one electorate. It is proposed that Auckland and Wellington should each return three members, Christchurch two members, aud Dunedin four members. Mr Walker said—l cannot support this Bill, as I consider the tendency of modern electoral law as entirely against the principle involved. More than that, I consider the argument which the Premier has held out with regard to plural voting will go most distinctly against the Bill. Why, wh it is the position 1 It is this : that now plural voting is only an exceptional thing, whereas under this Bill you will give to every elector in a city electorate the privilege of returning three or four members to this House. I therefore think that argument tells most decidedly against the Bill. At Home we see that a new law has just been passed, the intention of which is to break up the whole of the Old Country into single electorates. I believe it cuts up London into fifty or sixty electorates. Therefore I think the step which we are now asked to take is one in a retrogade direction. Of course there are many reasons why it should be supported in the different cities, and I can quite see why, if there is a popular cry, a popular election will follow. But I consider this Bill is entirely against the true principles of representation, and 1 am sure that in many cases it will greatly increase the cost of elections. And also lam sure of this : that there is not one of our cities in which there are not distinctive parts which require to be represented on different principles. It also will give cliques, factions, trade-unions, the publican interest, the industrial interest, the protective interest and all these little selfish cliques enormous power in the manipulation of elections. Therefore, for every reason which I have mentioned, and for many others which I have no doubt will occur to honorable members, I shall oppose this Bill as one of a retrograde character, in the interest of the people.